The decision by Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott to send Tremonti to Melbourne produced an immediate result with the colt scoring at Flemington.
Waterhouse and Bott have a strong team of two-year-olds and filled the placings in the Group 3 Breeders’ Plate (1000m) at Randwick on Saturday and collected the prize in the first two-year-old race in Melbourne with Tremonti’s win in the Listed Maribyrnong Trial Stakes (1000m) at Flemington.
Headed by the runner-up inside the final 200m, Tremonti ($4.20 in betting) fought back under Jye McNeil to score by a neck from Shining Smile ($10) with the $3.60 favourite Price Tag a neck away third.
“I love the way when he was beaten, he just came again and showed such tenacity,” Waterhouse said.
“I love that with a horse, and perhaps drawing the right marble early in the week, Jye McNeil was smart enough to take advantage of gate one to just give him that guiderail.
“It was a big help, especially with horses coming from interstate.”
Waterhouse said the decision was made to send Tremonti to Melbourne to split their two-year-old colts after having four starters in the Breeders’ Plate.
Besides winning the Breeders’ Plate with King Kirk, the stable also produced the runner-up, as well at the third and fifth placed horses in the field of eight.
“We thought that he would be very well placed down here,” Waterhouse said of Tremonti.
“He ran second behind the horse that was favourite for the Breeders’ Plate, and they ran the fastest time (in their trial), so we thought he’d represent the stable very well here.”
With Tremonti now having had the straight track experience, Waterhouse said the Group 3 Maribyrnong Plate (1000m) at Flemington on Melbourne Cup Day was potentially Tremonti’s next appearance.
“I’ll speak to Adrian and see what he wants to do,” Waterhouse said.